Wireless electric power sharing between vehicles

ABSTRACT

The disclosure involves wireless electric power sharing between vehicles. A first vehicle sends a charging request, wherein the first vehicle is at least partially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storage. The first vehicle receives a response to the charging request from a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a second on-board rechargeable electricity storage, and a communication channel is established between the first and second vehicles. The first on-board rechargeable electricity storage is charged using energy stored in the second on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle. The charging is controlled with information exchanged between the first and second vehicles over the communication channel.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to wireless electric power sharing, andmore specifically, to wireless electric power sharing between vehicles.

In recent years, with the shortage of oil resources and the awareness ofthe importance of environment protection, vehicles fully or partiallydriven by electric power are becoming popular, which are referred to aselectric vehicles herein. Electricity can be stored on board the vehicleusing electricity storage such as a battery, flywheel, orsupercapacitors. Due to capacity limitation of the on-board electricitystorage, electric vehicles need to be charged frequently, especially fora long journey. Therefore, how to charge an electric vehicle has come tobe a hot research topic. Currently the charging for electric vehicles isusually performed via wired connections (e.g., using a charging pole),while on the other hand, wireless charging for electric vehicles hasdrawn much attention.

With wireless charging techniques, electric vehicles may be wirelesslycharged while stopped at charging stations. Further, electric vehiclesmay be charged by wireless power transfer technologies while they travelalong a roadway embedded with power coupling elements. For example,coils embedded in the roadway may wirelessly provide electric power toan electric vehicle traveling on the roadway through interactions withcoils carried on the vehicle.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method includes sending, by a first vehicle which is at leastpartially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storage,a charging request. The method also can include receiving a response tothe charging request from a second vehicle which is at least partiallypowered by a second on-board rechargeable electricity storage. Themethod also can include establishing a communication channel between thefirst and second vehicles. The method also can include, while the firstand second vehicles are in motion, charging the first on-boardrechargeable electricity storage using energy stored in the secondon-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferredfrom the second vehicle to the first vehicle, wherein the charging iscontrolled, using a processor, with information exchanged between thefirst and second vehicles over the communication channel, wherein arelative position of the first vehicle with respect to the secondvehicle is automatically adjusted during the charging to ensureeffective energy transfer from the second vehicle to the first vehicleby keeping a predetermined distance between the first vehicle and secondvehicle.

A system includes a processor and a computer-readable memory unitcoupled to the processor. The memory unit includes instructions thatwhen executed by the processor cause a first vehicle which is at leastpartially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storageto send a charging request, receive a response to the charging requestfrom a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a secondon-board rechargeable electricity storage, establish a communicationchannel between the first and second vehicles and, while the first andsecond vehicles are in motion, charge the first on-board rechargeableelectricity storage using energy stored in the second on-boardrechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from thesecond vehicle to the first vehicle. The charging can be controlled withinformation exchanged between the first and second vehicles over thecommunication channel. A relative position of the first vehicle withrespect to the second vehicle can be automatically adjusted during thecharging to ensure effective energy transfer from the second vehicle tothe first vehicle by keeping a predetermined distance between the firstvehicle and second vehicle.

A computer program product includes a computer readable storage mediumhaving program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructionsare executable by a processor to cause a first vehicle which is at leastpartially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storageto send a charging request, receive a response to the charging requestfrom a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a secondon-board rechargeable electricity storage, establish a communicationchannel between the first and second vehicles and, while the first andsecond vehicles are in motion, charge the first on-board rechargeableelectricity storage using energy stored in the second on-boardrechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from thesecond vehicle to the first vehicle. The charging can be controlled withinformation exchanged between the first and second vehicles over thecommunication channel. A relative position of the first vehicle withrespect to the second vehicle can be automatically adjusted during thecharging to ensure effective energy transfer from the second vehicle tothe first vehicle by keeping a predetermined distance between the firstvehicle and second vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Through the more detailed description of some embodiments of the presentdisclosure with the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects,features and advantages of the present disclosure will become moreapparent, wherein the same reference generally refers to the samecomponents in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary computer system which is applicable toimplement embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary wireless power sharing scenariobetween vehicles according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an exemplary method according toembodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a scenario of adjusting the relative positionof vehicles during the charging according to embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary coil arrangementof a vehicle according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate scenarios where different coils are selected indifferent situations to receive energy from another vehicle according toembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some preferable embodiments will be described in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferableembodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated. However,the present disclosure can be implemented in various manners, and thusshould not be construed to be limited to the embodiments disclosedherein. On the contrary, those embodiments are provided for the thoroughand complete understanding of the present disclosure, and completelyconveying the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in theart.

Referring now to FIG. 1, in which an exemplary computer system/server 12which is applicable to implement the embodiments of the presentinvention is shown. Computer system/server 12 is only illustrative andis not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality of embodiments of the invention described herein.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 is shown in the form of ageneral-purpose computing device. The components of computersystem/server 12 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 thatcouples various system components including system memory 28 toprocessor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, data archival storage systems, and chargingcoils, etc.

Some embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as theprogram/utility 40 or the program modules 42 of FIG. 1, which may bepart of the vehicle control system. Now, with reference to FIGS. 2-6,some embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

Although electric vehicles have become popular in recent years, thepower supply for the electric vehicles is still a challenge compared totraditional gasoline vehicles. For example, the number of chargingpoints is not sufficient for the increasing numbers of electricvehicles, and some areas may suffer from a lack of charging points.Moreover, it is time consuming to stop and charge until the rechargeablebattery of the vehicle is fully charged. Further, due to the limitationof battery capacity, a single charge for the vehicle may not support along journey.

Wireless charging may mitigate the above problems to some extent. Forexample, wirelessly charging vehicles in motion by power couplingelements embedded in the roadway may support a longer journey and thevehicles can be charged without stopping. However, this wirelesscharging scheme requires a specially designed roadway and compatiblevehicles, which is costly and difficult to be widely deployed.Therefore, there exists a need for a more convenient way to chargeelectric vehicles.

The present invention is directed to wireless electric power sharingbetween electric vehicles. The electric vehicle may be an all-electricvehicle only powered by electricity, or a vehicle partially powered byelectric power, such as a hybrid vehicle. The embodiments of the presentinvention will be described using an electric vehicle powered by anon-board rechargeable battery as an example, but the vehicle may also bepowered by other on-board electricity storage, such as flywheel energystorage or supercapacitors.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary wireless power sharing scenariobetween vehicle 200 and vehicle 210 according to embodiments of thepresent invention, wherein FIG. 2A shows a situation during the wirelesspower sharing, and FIG. 2B shows a situation when the wireless powersharing is finished.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, vehicle 200 and vehicle 210 are travelingin the same direction (as indicated by the arrow 220) and vehicle 210 isin front of vehicle 200. The remaining capacity of a rechargeablebattery of vehicle 200 is low and needs to be charged to continue thetrip, while the remaining capacity of a rechargeable battery of vehicle210 is sufficient. Assume that the remaining capacity of the battery ofvehicle 200 is 10% of the full capacity, and the remaining capacity ofthe battery of vehicle 210 is 90% of the full capacity, the fullcapacities of both vehicle 200 and 210 are the same, and the powerdissipation in energy transformation is not counted in.

As shown in FIG. 2A, vehicle 200 has requested for an amount of power,e.g., 20% of the full capacity, from vehicle 210. After approval byvehicle 210, the rechargeable battery of vehicle 200 can be charged byenergy wirelessly transferred from vehicle 210.

When the wireless power sharing is finished, as shown in FIG. 2B, theremaining capacity of vehicle 200 is increased to 30% and the remainingcapacity of vehicle 210 is decreased to 70%. That is, 20% of the fullcapacity has been wirelessly transferred from vehicle 210 to vehicle 200through wireless power sharing. Then the two vehicles may separate andtravel independently.

With the wireless power sharing between vehicles, vehicle 200 can becharged to continue its trip even if there is no charge station nearbyor the roadway is not equipped with power supply elements. This may alsosave time for conventional charging at the charge station, since thepower sharing between vehicles can occur while they are moving. It wouldbe appreciated that although FIGS. 2A and 2B show the two vehicles arein motion, they can alternatively be stopped during the charging.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an exemplary method 300 according toembodiments of the present invention. There are two vehicles, e.g.,vehicle 200 and 210 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, involved in method 300of FIG. 3. However, it would be appreciated that method 300 can beapplied to more vehicles. For example, one vehicle may transmit energyto two or more vehicles, and may also receive energy from two or morevehicles.

At block 310, a first vehicle, e.g., vehicle 200, may send a chargingrequest. Vehicle 200 may be a vehicle at least partially powered by anon-board rechargeable electricity storage, such as a rechargeablebattery. The charging request may be sent automatically in response tothe remaining capacity of the battery below a threshold, or may be sentin response to a user operation.

According to an embodiment, the charging request may comprise an amountof power required by vehicle 200. The required amount of power may be arelative amount of power, for example, a percentage of the full capacityas in FIG. 2A, or may be an absolute amount of power, e.g., power inunits of amp-hour. As another example, the required amount of power maycomprise a duration of charging.

According to an embodiment, the charging request may compriseinformation about vehicle 200, such as characteristics of its battery,current position (e.g., GPS data) of vehicle 200, destination of thetrip, etc.

According to an embodiment, the charging request may be sent to vehicleswithin a particular range from vehicle 200. The range may beautomatically determined based on one or more factors, such as thecommunication protocol used for sending the request, the road traffic,the remaining capacity of the battery of vehicle 200, etc., or bemanually set by the driver or passenger of vehicle 200. Alternatively,the charging request may be sent to a particular vehicle, e.g., avehicle that has established a connection with vehicle 200 or a vehicleshows a willingness for power sharing.

At block 320, vehicle 200 may receive a response to the charging requestfrom a second vehicle, e.g., vehicle 210. Vehicle 210 may also be avehicle at least partially powered by an on-board rechargeableelectricity storage, such as a rechargeable battery. The response mayindicate that the charging request of vehicle 200 is approved by vehicle210. According to an embodiment, the response may comprise informationabout vehicle 210, such as characteristics of its battery, currentposition (e.g., GPS data) of vehicle 210, destination of the trip, etc.

At block 330, a communication channel may be established betweenvehicles 200 and 210. The communication channel may be a directcommunication channel or an indirect communication channel betweenvehicles 200 and 210. For example, a direct communication channel may beestablished between the vehicles using Bluetooth technology. As anotherexample, an indirect communication channel may be established betweenthe vehicles via a remote server through cellular network (such as LTEnetwork), wherein the information to be exchanged between the vehiclesis processed, if necessary, and forwarded by the server to the vehicles.The communication channel can be used to exchange information, such asvehicle positions, battery characteristics and energytransmitter/receiver characteristics, between vehicles 200 and 210before and/or during the charging to facilitate the charging. It wouldbe appreciated that, although FIG. 3 shows block 330 as following block320, block 330 can also be performed prior to block 320 or prior toblock 310.

At block 340, the rechargeable battery of vehicle 200 is charged byenergy stored in the rechargeable battery of vehicle 210 and wirelesslytransferred from vehicle 210. The charging may be controlled with theinformation exchanged between vehicles 200 and 210 over thecommunication channel. The charging may be performed while both vehicles200 and 210 are in motion or both of them are stopped.

The charging may start upon receiving the response from vehicle 210 orupon the communication channel being established. Alternatively,vehicles 200 and 210 may further communicate with each other over thecommunication channel before the charging. For example, vehicles 200 and210 may further communicate to complete the handshake or to reach anagreement. As another example, the relative position of the two vehiclesmay be detected and adjusted before the charging such that they can movetogether to ensure an effective charging. During the charging, vehicles200 and 210 may continue the communication over the established channelto exchange necessary information. The charging may be stopped inresponse to the required amount of power indicated in the chargingrequest has been charged.

More details of method 300 will be described below.

In an embodiment, the charging request may be broadcasted from vehicle200 to a plurality of vehicles, e.g., to all vehicles within a rangefrom vehicle 200. Vehicle 210 willing to sharing power with vehicle 200may respond to the charging request, and a wireless connection, e.g., adirect communication channel, may be established between vehicles 200and 210 to communicate information necessary for the charging. Then therechargeable battery of vehicle 200 may be charged using energywirelessly transferred from vehicle 210.

In another embodiment, a plurality of vehicles including vehicle 200 maybe registered to a server which schedules power sharing among theplurality of vehicles. Vehicle 200 may send a charging request to theserver, which in turn is forwarded by the server to other registeredvehicles. Preferably, the charging request may be forwarded to vehiclesin the vicinity of vehicle 200. Vehicle 210 which has received theforwarded charging request and is willing to share power with vehicle200 may send a response to vehicle 200. A direct communication channelor an indirect communication channel via the server can be establishedbetween vehicles 200 and 210. Then the rechargeable battery of vehicle200 may be charged using energy wirelessly transferred from vehicle 210.During the charging, information can be directly or indirectlycommunicated between vehicles 200 and 210 to facilitate an effectivecharging.

In still another embodiment, vehicle 200 may have established acommunication channel with one or more vehicles before sending thecharging request. The communication channel may be established betweenvehicle 200 and one or more nearby vehicles when they are travelingalong a roadway. The communication channel may be automaticallyestablished by communication modules carried on the vehicles based on avariety of communication technologies, such as Bluetooth (BT)technology, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrareddata association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UBW) technology, andso on. Alternatively, the establishment of the communication channel maybe manually triggered by an operation of the driver or passenger invehicle 200. After the communication channel is established, vehicle 200may send the charging request to one or more of the connected vehiclesover the communication channel. Upon receiving the request, vehicle 210willing to share power with vehicle 200 may send a response to vehicle200 over the communication channel. The rechargeable battery of vehicle200 may then be charged using energy wirelessly transferred from vehicle210.

In yet another embodiment, vehicles willing to share electric power mayconfigure themselves as discoverable, and vehicle 200 may search forsuch discoverable vehicles and send the charging request to one or moreof them. Once an agreement is reached between vehicles 200 and 210, thecharging can take place.

As mentioned above, the charging request may be sent to more than onevehicle so as to obtain more opportunities for being charged. So it ispossible that vehicle 200 may receive responses to the charging requestfrom a plurality of vehicles. In such a case, the rechargeable batteryof vehicle 200 may be charged by the plurality of vehiclessimultaneously. Alternatively, vehicle 200 may select at least onevehicle 210 from the plurality of responding vehicles according to oneor more criteria, e.g., based on the remaining capacity of theresponding vehicles, distances of the responding vehicles with respectto vehicle 200, destinations of the responding vehicles, etc. Theselection may be performed automatically by vehicle 200 or manually bythe driver or passenger of vehicle 200. In the manual case, informationof the plurality of responding vehicles may be displayed to the driveror passenger, for example on a display provided in vehicle 200, so as tofacilitate the selection.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, some processes for the wirelesscharging between vehicles will be discussed.

FIGS. 4A-4B show a scenario of adjusting the relative position ofvehicles during the charging according to embodiments of the presentinvention. It should be appreciated that the adjustment can also be madebefore the charging.

As an exemplary embodiment, FIGS. 4A-4B show vehicle 400 moving andbeing charged by another moving vehicle 410, 420 or 430. Vehicles 410,420 and 430 are in different positions relative to vehicle 400,representing three exemplary situations for the charging. It would beappreciated that, although vehicle 400 is charged by one of vehicles410, 420 and 430 in the following discussion, it can instead be chargedby all of the three vehicles 410, 420 and 430 simultaneously, and theposition adjustment described below is still applicable.

As shown in FIG. 4A, vehicle 420, vehicle 430 and vehicle 400 aretraveling in lane 1, and vehicle 410 is traveling in lane 3. Further,either the distance of vehicle 410 or the distance of vehicle 430 withrespect to vehicle 400 is larger than the distance of vehicle 420 withrespect to vehicle 400.

In the case where vehicle 400 is charged by vehicle 420, the energycoupling between them is strong enough such that the wireless chargingcan work well. Therefore, no adjustment of the relative position isneeded. In the case where vehicle 400 is charged by vehicle 410 or 430,the energy coupling between them may be weak and the energy of vehicle410 or 430 may not be effectively transferred to vehicle 400. Therefore,the relative positions of vehicle 410 or 430 with respect to vehicle 420may need adjustment. This adjustment can be performed throughout thecharging to ensure effective energy transfer all the time.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, vehicle 430 may speed up to shortenthe distance from vehicle 400 and thus improve the energy coupling.Similarly, vehicle 410 may lower its speed and/or change from lane 3 tolane 2 to shorten the distance from vehicle 400 and thus improve theenergy coupling. Of course, the relative position can also be adjustedby changing the speed or lane of vehicle 400.

In one embodiment, the relative position of vehicles may be adjustedautomatically. Take vehicles 400 and 430 as an example. At least one ofvehicles 400 and 430 may monitor the relative distance between themusing on-board sensors, e.g., a radar, and communicate this informationover the communication channel between vehicles 400 and 430. Then theinformation may be used to keep a predetermined distance between vehicle400 and vehicle 430 based on, e.g., adaptive cruise control (ACC). Here,the predetermined distance may be set to ensure effective energytransfer between the vehicles.

As another example, the relative position of vehicle 400 and vehicle 430may be adjusted based on the charging current or the magnetic intensityduring the charging. For example, when a sensor provided in vehicle 400detects that the charging current is below a predetermined level or themagnetic intensity is below a predetermined value, which indicates aweak energy coupling, vehicle 400 may be controlled to change itsposition with respect to vehicle 430 for efficient charging.

As yet another example, the relative position of vehicle 400 and vehicle430 may be adjusted based on the signal strength over the establishedcommunication channel between them. When the signal strength is lowerthan a predetermined value, which indicates a weak energy coupling,vehicle 400 may be controlled to change its position with respect tovehicle 430.

In one embodiment, the relative position of vehicle 400 with respect tovehicle 430 may be adjusted based on the control of the driver or thepassenger of vehicle 400 or 430. For example, an alert may be providedto the driver or passenger when the energy coupling is weak. The alertmay be audio, visual, haptic or the like. As another example, agraphical user interface may be displayed on the display of vehicle 400or 430, showing the current relative positions of the vehicles involvedin the power sharing. The driver or passenger of vehicle 400 or 430 mayadjust the speed and/or position accordingly to ensure effective energytransfer.

The rechargeable battery of a vehicle may be charged by energy fromanother vehicle through various wireless charging techniques. In oneembodiment, the wireless charging between vehicles may be realized bycoupling energy through coils provided in both vehicles, e.g., usingresonant inductive coupling. Resonant inductive coupling is a near fieldwireless transmission of energy between two magnetically coupled coilsthat are part of resonant circuits tuned to resonate at the samefrequency. The vehicle being charged can convert the magneticoscillating energy received by the coil to electric power to charge thebattery.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary coil arrangementof electric vehicle 500 according to embodiments of the invention.

Vehicle 500 may comprise a plurality of coils disposed at differentpositions of the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, six coils aredisposed in vehicle 500, that is, a front coil 510 in the front ofvehicle, a back coil 520 in the back of vehicle 500, and four wheelcoils 530, 540, 550, and 560 disposed in the four wheels respectively.

Each of the coils of vehicle 500 may be used to receive energytransferred from one or more coupled coils disposed in other vehicles.Further, each of the coils of vehicle 500 may also be used to transmitenergy to one or more coupled coils disposed in other vehicles.

It should be noted that the arrangement of coils shown in FIG. 5 is onlyillustrative and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to thescope of the invention described herein. The coils may be disposed atother positions of the vehicle so long as they can implement thecharging. Moreover, the energy transfer may be performed by variousenergy transmitters/receivers, not limited to the coils.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate scenarios where different coils are selected indifferent situations to receive energy from another vehicle according toembodiments of the invention. For the sake of clarity, only the coilsselected for charging are illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6D. Again, althoughcoils are illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6D to transmit and receive energy asan example, other energy transmitters and receivers may be used in thesescenarios.

As shown in FIGS. 6A-6D, vehicle 600 is being charged by vehicle 610.The plurality of coils of vehicle 600 and vehicle 610 may be disposed asillustrated in FIG. 5. During the charging, at least one coil of vehicle600 having the highest coupling efficiency with vehicle 610 may beselected to receive energy from vehicle 610. For example, the coil maybe selected based on the distances of the coils of vehicle 600 fromvehicle 610, as the coupling efficiency is a function of the distancebetween coils. Also, at least one coil of vehicle 610 having the highestcoupling efficiency with vehicle 600 may be selected to transmit energyto vehicle 600.

In one embodiment, a common magnetic resonant frequency of the coils maybe negotiated between vehicle 600 and vehicle 610 over the establishedcommunication channel before the charging. When the magnetic resonantfrequency of a coil of vehicle 600 is the same or near the magneticresonant frequency of a coil of vehicle 610, the energy of vehicle 610may be wirelessly transferred to the coil of vehicle 600 such that therechargeable battery of vehicle 600 is charged.

In FIG. 6A, vehicle 600 and vehicle 610 are traveling in the same laneand vehicle 600 is in front of vehicle 610. The back coil 602 of vehicle600 and the front coil 612 of vehicle 610 are selected to receive andtransmit energy respectively, since these two coils are the closestamong all the coils and thus the coupling efficiency between them shouldbe the highest.

Similarly, in FIG. 6B, vehicle 600 and vehicle 610 are traveling in thesame lane and vehicle 600 is behind vehicle 610. The front coil 604 ofvehicle 600 is selected to receive energy from coil 614 of vehicle 610.

In FIG. 6C, vehicle 600 is traveling in a left lane from vehicle 610 andalso in front of vehicle 610. The wheel coil 606 disposed in therear-right wheel of vehicle 600 is selected to receive energy from coil616 of vehicle 610. Alternatively, both the wheel coil 606 and the backcoil 602 may be selected to receive the energy from vehicle 600 (notshown).

In FIG. 6D, vehicle 600 is traveling in a left lane from vehicle 610,and vehicle 600 is behind vehicle 610. The wheel coil 608 disposed inthe front-right wheel of vehicle 600 is selected to receive energy fromcoil 618 of vehicle 610. Alternatively, both the wheel coil 608 and thefront coil 604 may be selected to receive energy from vehicle 610 (notshown).

In one embodiment, the selection of coil for receiving or transmittingenergy may be performed automatically. For example, sensors provided invehicle 600 may detect the magnetic intensity at each coil, and the coilwith the largest magnetic intensity may be selected to receive energyfrom vehicle 610.

In one embodiment, the coil for receiving or transmitting energy may beselected by the driver or passenger of the vehicle. For example, a userinterface may be displayed on the display of vehicle 600, showing therelative positions of vehicle 600 and vehicle 610 and the arrangement ofcoils. The driver or passenger of vehicle 600 may select at least onecoil closest to vehicle 610 to receive the energy from vehicle 610.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system isprovided, which comprises a processor and a computer-readable memoryunit coupled to the processor. The memory unit comprises instructionsthat when executed by the processor cause a first vehicle which is atleast partially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricitystorage to: send a charging request; receive a response to the chargingrequest from a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by asecond on-board rechargeable electricity storage; establish acommunication channel between the first and second vehicles; and chargethe first on-board rechargeable electricity storage using energy storedin the second on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelesslytransferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle. The chargingis controlled with information exchanged between the first and secondvehicles over the communication channel.

According to an embodiment of the system, the charging request is sentto vehicles within a particular range from the first vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the system, the charging occurs while boththe first and the second vehicles are in motion.

According to an embodiment of the system, a relative position of thefirst vehicle with respect to the second vehicle is adjusted during thecharging to ensure effective energy transfer from the second vehicle tothe first vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the system, the relative position isadjusted based on the information exchanged between the first and secondvehicles over the communication channel.

According to an embodiment of the system, the energy is wirelesslytransferred through coils provided in the first vehicle and the secondvehicle, and wherein a common magnetic resonant frequency of the coilsis negotiated between the first and second vehicles over thecommunication channel.

According to an embodiment of the system, the first vehicle comprises aplurality of energy receivers disposed at different positions of thefirst vehicle, and wherein at least one of the plurality of energyreceivers having the highest coupling efficiency with the second vehicleis selected to receive the energy from the second vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer programproduct is provided, which comprises a computer readable storage mediumhaving program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructionsare executable by a processor to cause a first vehicle which is at leastpartially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storageto: send a charging request; receive a response to the charging requestfrom a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a secondon-board rechargeable electricity storage; establish a communicationchannel between the first and second vehicles; and charge the firston-board rechargeable electricity storage using energy stored in thesecond on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelesslytransferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, the chargingrequest is sent to vehicles within a particular range from the firstvehicle.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, the chargingoccurs while both the first and the second vehicles are in motion.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, a relativeposition of the first vehicle with respect to the second vehicle isadjusted during the charging to ensure effective energy transfer fromthe second vehicle to the first vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, the relativeposition is adjusted based on the information exchanged between thefirst and second vehicles over the communication channel.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, the energyis wirelessly transferred through coils provided in the first vehicleand the second vehicle, and wherein a common magnetic resonant frequencyof the coils is negotiated between the first and second vehicles overthe communication channel.

According to an embodiment of the computer program product, the firstvehicle comprises a plurality of energy receivers disposed at differentpositions of the first vehicle, and wherein at least one of theplurality of energy receivers having the highest coupling efficiencywith the second vehicle is selected to receive the energy from thesecond vehicle.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; and acomputer-readable memory unit coupled to the processor, the memory unitcomprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause afirst vehicle which is at least partially powered by a first on-boardrechargeable electricity storage to: send a charging request; receive aresponse to the charging request from a second vehicle which is at leastpartially powered by a second on-board rechargeable electricity storage;establish a communication channel between the first and second vehicles;and while the first and second vehicles are in motion, charge the firston-board rechargeable electricity storage using energy stored in thesecond on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelesslytransferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle, wherein thecharging is controlled with information exchanged between the first andsecond vehicles over the communication channel, wherein a relativeposition of the first vehicle with respect to the second vehicle isautomatically adjusted during the charging to ensure effective energytransfer from the second vehicle to the first vehicle by keeping apredetermined distance between the first vehicle and second vehicle. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the relative position is adjusted basedon the information exchanged between the first and second vehicles overthe communication channel.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the energyis wirelessly transferred through coils provided in the first vehicleand the second vehicle, and wherein a common magnetic resonant frequencyof the coils is negotiated between the first and second vehicles overthe communication channel.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstvehicle comprises a plurality of energy receivers disposed at differentpositions of the first vehicle, each of the energy receivers configuredto charge the first on-board rechargeable electricity storage, andwherein at least one of the plurality of energy receivers having thehighest coupling efficiency with the second vehicle is selected tocharge the first on-board rechargeable electricity storage by receivingthe energy from the second vehicle.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein atleast one of the plurality of energy receivers is a coil disposed in awheel of the first vehicle.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein theplurality of energy receivers comprises a respective coil disposed ineach of four wheels of the first vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 4,wherein at least one of the plurality of energy receivers is a coildisposed at a front of the first vehicle.
 8. The system of claim 4,wherein at least one of the plurality of energy receivers is a coildisposed at a back of the first vehicle.
 9. A computer program product,comprising a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable bya processor to cause a first vehicle which is at least partially poweredby a first on-board rechargeable electricity storage to: send a chargingrequest; receive a response to the charging request from a secondvehicle which is at least partially powered by a second on-boardrechargeable electricity storage; establish a communication channelbetween the first and second vehicles; and while the first and secondvehicles are in motion, charge the first on-board rechargeableelectricity storage using energy stored in the second on-boardrechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from thesecond vehicle to the first vehicle, wherein the charging is controlledwith information exchanged between the first and second vehicles overthe communication channel, wherein a relative position of the firstvehicle with respect to the second vehicle is automatically adjustedduring the charging to ensure effective energy transfer from the secondvehicle to the first vehicle by keeping a predetermined distance betweenthe first vehicle and second vehicle.
 10. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein the relative position is adjusted based on theinformation exchanged between the first and second vehicles over thecommunication channel.
 11. The computer program product of claim 9,wherein the energy is wirelessly transferred through coils provided inthe first vehicle and the second vehicle, and wherein a common magneticresonant frequency of the coils is negotiated between the first andsecond vehicles over the communication channel.
 12. The computer programproduct of claim 9, wherein the first vehicle comprises a plurality ofenergy receivers disposed at different positions of the first vehicle,each of the energy receivers configured to charge the first on-boardrechargeable electricity storage, and wherein at least one of theplurality of energy receivers having the highest coupling efficiencywith the second vehicle is selected to charge the first on-boardrechargeable electricity storage by receiving the energy from the secondvehicle.
 13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at leastone of the plurality of energy receivers is a coil disposed in a wheelof the first vehicle.
 14. The computer program product of claim 12,wherein the plurality of energy receivers comprises a respective coildisposed in each of four wheels of the first vehicle.
 15. The computerprogram product of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality ofenergy receivers is a coil disposed at a front of the first vehicle. 16.The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of theplurality of energy receivers is a coil disposed at a back of the firstvehicle.
 17. A method, comprising: sending, by a first vehicle which isat least partially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricitystorage, a charging request; receiving a response to the chargingrequest from a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by asecond on-board rechargeable electricity storage; establishing acommunication channel between the first and second vehicles; and whilethe first and second vehicles are in motion, charging the first on-boardrechargeable electricity storage using energy stored in the secondon-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferredfrom the second vehicle to the first vehicle, wherein the charging iscontrolled, using a processor, with information exchanged between thefirst and second vehicles over the communication channel, wherein arelative position of the first vehicle with respect to the secondvehicle is automatically adjusted during the charging to ensureeffective energy transfer from the second vehicle to the first vehicleby keeping a predetermined distance between the first vehicle and secondvehicle.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the relative position isadjusted based on the information exchanged between the first and secondvehicles over the communication channel.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein the energy is wirelessly transferred through coils provided inthe first vehicle and the second vehicle, and wherein a common magneticresonant frequency of the coils is negotiated between the first andsecond vehicles over the communication channel.
 20. The method of claim17, wherein the first vehicle comprises a plurality of energy receiversdisposed at different positions of the first vehicle, each of the energyreceivers configured to charge the first on-board rechargeableelectricity storage, and wherein at least one of the plurality of energyreceivers having the highest coupling efficiency with the second vehicleis selected to charge the first on-board rechargeable electricitystorage by receiving the energy from the second vehicle.